Joyce Bagala, the Mityana District Woman MP, has voiced her opposition to President Museveni's directive on advertising.
She firmly stated that as opposition they will not allow the implementation of this directive.
The directive, issued in March 2023 and reinforced in July by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Ramathan Ggoobi, mandates that government advertising is channeled solely through the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation and Print media through the New Vision.
The same directive also communicated that UBC will be allocated at least Shs 30 billion every financial year.
The move that has been widely criticised as an attempt to curtail independent media outlets.
According to Bagala, Museveni's directive on advertising poses a significant threat to the principles of a liberalised economy, freedom of expression, and fair competition.
She argued that such a directive could lead to the emergence of a monopoly.
Bagala who is also the shadow Minister for Information and Anti-Corruption,emphasised that they will stand up against any attempts to control the media and limit freedom of expression.
"It should be noted that government is the biggest spender and that moving this economy requires both the private and public players,"she said.
While the directive is a welcome move in as far as capitalising the public broadcaster to build its capacity is concerned, Bagala said the directive will suffocate private companies that have hugely invested their resources in this industry.
Bagala argued that this directive is a clear violation of media freedom and aims to silence dissenting voices.
She highlighted the importance of a free and independent media in any democratic society, as it plays a crucial role in holding the government accountable and ensuring transparency in governance.
She accused Museveni of trying to tighten his grip on the media and control the narrative by centralising advertising.
She warned that such a move would further erode the already dwindling space for critical voices and independent journalism in Uganda.
She stated that UBC and New Vision as government entities are being subsidised by the tax payers.
"If they cannot handle competition then they should be left to only receive subvention.As the Opposition, we have already witnessed the danger which resulted from Mr. Museveni's decree that the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces takes up all infrastructural construction contracts,"she said.
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Bagala called on her fellow opposition members and civil society organisations to unite against this directive and stand up for press freedom.
She asserted that they will not back down and will continue to champion the rights of journalists and media professionals.
Broadcasters have since protested against the move, with the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) announcing a boycott of all government programmes.
The Uganda Editors' Guild (UEG) also announced a boycott of government press briefings.
Both groups argue that the directive, which results in an unfair and discriminatory practice, is detrimental to media freedom and the equitable distribution of public funds.
